Building Restoration
Project Overview
The Accident Fund Insurance Co. of America was looking for a new national headquarters when it decided to restore a former Lansing municipal electric and steam utility generating station. The Christman Company led the challenging restoration of the decommissioned Ottawa Street Power Station. Construction services encountered early issues as the building was directly connected to the Grand River and the proposed parking deck was in the floodplain/floodway.
The project required sensitivity to the historic nature of the exiting building and surrounding brownfield site while creating 290,000 square feet of office space, including a 105,000 square foot expansion and a 900 space parking deck.
Fleis & VandenBrink was hired to assist with the design, survey, permits, and hydraulics. Fleis & VandenBrink worked with the Owner and EGLE to permit all impacts as well as developing strategies to keep the basement dry and measures to control the fluctuating river levels. A key to the project was the near-record time it took to submit and obtain EGLE permits.
The restoration, which won numerous engineering and architecture design and historical awards, turned a cavernous, utilitarian structure into a Class A office environment for hundreds. It was also a shot in the arm for Lansing’s riverfront and downtown redevelopment.
